Untitled Flashcards Set

Main Ideas of the Field & Theories

• Child Development: The scientific study of changes in children from conception to adolescence.

• Major Theories:

  • Psychoanalytic Theories (Freud, Erikson)

  • Behaviorism & Social Learning (Watson, Skinner, Bandura)

  • Cognitive Development (Piaget, Vygotsky)

  • Ecological Systems Theory (Bronfenbrenner)

  • Information Processing Approach

  • Ethological & Evolutionary Theories (Lorenz, Bowlby)

Key Concepts

• Plasticity: The ability of development to change in response to experience.

• Cohort: A group of individuals born around the same time.

• Nature vs. Nurture: The debate on genetic inheritance (nature) vs. environmental influences (nurture).

• Active vs. Passive Development: Whether children influence their development actively or are shaped passively.

• Continuous vs. Discontinuous Development: Gradual vs. stage-based development.

Comparing Theories

Leading Causes of Death by Developmental Period

• Infancy: Birth defects, SIDS

• Childhood: Accidents, illness

• Adolescence: Accidents, homicide, suicide

• Adulthood: Heart disease, cancer

Prenatal Development & Genetic Disorders

• Three Periods of Prenatal Development:

  1. Germinal (0-2 weeks): Zygote formation, cell division

  2. Embryonic (2-8 weeks): Organ formation, critical period for teratogens

  3. Fetal (8 weeks-birth): Growth and maturation

• Genetic Disorders:

  • Down Syndrome (extra chromosome 21)

  • Cystic Fibrosis (genetic mutation affecting lungs/digestion)

  • Sickle Cell Anemia (blood disorder)

Teratogens & Epigenetics

• Teratogens: Environmental agents causing harm during prenatal development (alcohol, tobacco, drugs, radiation, infections)

• Epigenetics: Gene expression influenced by environment

Labor & Delivery

• Stages of Labor:

  1. Dilation & Effacement

  2. Delivery of Baby

  3. Delivery of Placenta

• Newborn Assessment: APGAR score (Appearance, Pulse, Grimace, Activity, Respiration)

• Newborn Weight: 5.5 - 8.8 lbs; low birth weight risks include respiratory issues, developmental delays

Growth & Development Patterns

• Cephalocaudal: Head-to-toe development

• Proximodistal: Center-outward development

• Expected Physical Growth: Doubling birth weight by 6 months, tripling by 1 year

Assessing Infant Abilities

• Reflexes: Rooting, sucking, grasping, Moro

• Sensory Development: Vision (poor at birth, improves by 6 months), Hearing (well-developed at birth), Touch (essential for bonding)

Language Development Patterns

• Cooing (6-8 weeks) → Babbling (4-6 months) → First Words (12 months) → Two-Word Phrases (18-24 months)

Temperament

• Easy, Difficult, Slow-to-Warm-Up (Chess & Thomas)

• Goodness-of-Fit: Matching parenting style to child’s temperament

Theories of Multiple Intelligences (Gardner)

• Linguistic, Logical-Mathematical, Spatial, Musical, Bodily-Kinesthetic, Interpersonal, Intrapersonal, Naturalistic

Short Answer Topics

1. Parenting Styles (Baumrind’s Model):

   • Authoritative: High warmth, high control (best outcomes)

   • Authoritarian: Low warmth, high control (strict, less warmth)

   • Permissive: High warmth, low control (few rules)

   • Neglectful: Low warmth, low control (uninvolved)

2. Applying Piaget & Vygotsky in Education:

   • Piaget: Active learning, discovery-based, stage-appropriate activities

   • Vygotsky: Scaffolding, Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD), social interaction in learning

3. Effects of Teratogens:

   • Alcohol → Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS), cognitive impairments

   • Smoking → Low birth weight, respiratory issues

   • Drugs (e.g., cocaine) → Premature birth, withdrawal symptoms

4. Sex Differentiation in Fetal Development:

   • Week 6-7: SRY gene triggers testes development in males

   • Week 8-12: Testosterone influences male genitalia, absence leads to female development